Airtight container

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is an airtight container for keeping food etc. in airtight state. The airtight container comprises a body  10  with an opened upper surface; a lid  20  for covering the opened upper surface of the body  10 ; and a locking portion having at least two locking flanges  40  integrally pivotally coupled to the periphery of the lid  20  through a thin hinge  44  formed at a connecting portion connecting thereof with the lid  20 , the locking flange  40  having a hooking protrusion  42  formed on a lower surface thereof, and hooking ribs  50  formed on an upper portion of the outer wall of the body  10 , each rib  50  engaging with the hooking protrusion of the locking flange  40.    
     Preferably, the hooking protrusion of the locking flange  40  provided with a hooked end  43 , and the hooking rib provided with an accommodation groove  52  for for accommodating the hooked end  43  of the hooking protrusion on lower surface thereof. Thus, the hooking protrusion and the hooking rib can be engaged more firmly.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] Present invention relates to an airtight container for keeping food etc. in airtight state.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] Generally, various airtight containers are used to keep food so that the food can be prevented from being perished and unique smell of the food is prevented from being leaked outside. These airtight containers have various size and shape, however these airthight containers generally comprise a body with an opened upper surface, a lid for covering the opened upper surface of the body, and a packing attached to the lid for keeping airtightness of the container.

[0005] However, it is difficult to disengage the lid from the body and to ensure the tightness of the container by simply covering the body with the lid having the attached packing. Therefore, it is known a technique in which locking flanges are formed on a periphery of a lid so that the lid can be easily disengaged from a body and tightness can be improved.

[0006] Japanese Laid Open Utility Model S60-11249 discloses an exemplary locking flanges formed on a periphery of a lid.

[0007] More particulary, locking flanges each provided with hooking slot are pivotaly coupled to the periphery of the lid, and hooking ribs each corresponding to the hooking slot of the locking flange are protruded from an upper portion of an outer wall of a body. Thus, the lid and the body are completely coupled by covering the body with the lid and then pivoting the locking flanges downwardly to engege the hooking ribs of the body with the hooking slots of the locking flanges. In this state, airtightness of the container can be fully ensured, and when opening the lid, the lid can be easily disengaged from the body by pivoting the locking flanges upwardly to disengage the hooking ribs of the body from the hooking slots of the locking flanges and then pull the lid upwardly with the locking flanges gripped.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] It is an object of the present invention to provide an airtight container having a structure in that a hooking rib does not protrude much longer from the outer wall of the body thereby capable of improving convenience of using.

[0009] In order to accomplish the above mentioned object, an airtight container according to the present invention comprises a body with an opened upper surface; a lid for covering the opened upper surface of the body; and a locking portion having at least two locking flanges integrally pivotally coupled to the periphery of the lid through a thin hinge formed at a connecting portion connecting thereof with the lid, the locking flange having a hooking protrusion formed on a lower surface thereof, and hooking ribs formed on an upper portion of the outer wall of the body, each rib engaging with the hooking protrusion of the locking flange.

[0010] Preferably, the hooking protrusion of the locking flange provided with a hooked end, and the hooking rib provided with an accommodation groove for for accommodating the hooked end of the hooking protrusion on lower surface thereof. Thus, the hooking protrusion and the hooking rib can be engaged more firmly.

[0011] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the present invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the present invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the present invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the present invention. In the drawings:

[0013]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an airtight container according to the present invention,

[0014]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the airtight container of FIG. 1, in which a body and a lid are disengaged, and

[0015]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the airtight container of FIG. 1, in which the body and the lid are engaged.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] FIGS. 1 to 3 illustrate an embodiment of an airtight container according to present invention.

[0017] As shown, the airtight container according to present invention comprises a body 10, a lid 20 and a locking portion. The body 10 has a box shape with an opened upper surface and accommodates food etc. in an inner space thereof. In present embodiment, the body 10 has a shape of a rectangular box, however the body 10 does not limited in shape and may have various shape such as a cylindrical shape or a triangular prism shape etc.

[0018] The lid 20 is a plate shaped member of which area is slightly borad than an area of the upper surface of the body 10 to cover the upper surface of the body 10. An accommodation groove 22 into which a top end of the body 10 is inserted is formed on a lower surface of the lid, preferably a packing 30 is accommodated therein. The packing 30 is an elastic member made of rubber or plastics and used for improving an airtightness between the lid 20 and the body 10.

[0019] The locking portion have locking flanges 40 attached to the periphery of the lid 20 and hooking ribs 50 formed on an upper portion of the outer wall of the body 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the locking flanges 40 are pivotally coupled to the periphery of the lid 20, preferably formed integrally on the lid 20 with the same material to the material of the lid 20, and connection portions each connecting the lid 20 and locking flange 40 are formed thinly thereby providing a hinge portion 44. The locking flange 40 is provided with a hooking protrusion 42 on its lower surface, and an tip end of the hooking protrusion 42 has a hooked shape. The hooking rib 50 may be formed continuously along the outer wall of the body 10, alternatively the hooking rib 50 may be formed discontinuously only on the portion corresponding to the hooking protrusion 42 of the locking flange 40. Preferably, the hooking rib 50 is formed continuously so as to minimize inconvenience due to an interference during using. An accommodation groove 52 for accommodating the hook 43 of the hooking protrusion 42 is formed on the lower surface of the hooking rib 50.

[0020] In the above mentioned airtight container according to the present invention, the lid 20 is firmly engaged with the body 10 and the inner space of the container is sealed by covering the upper surface of the body 10 with the lid 20 so that the top end of the body 10 is inserted into the accommodation groove 22 of the lid 20 in which the packing 30 is placed, and then pivoting the locking flange 40 downwardly to engage the hooking protrusion 42 of the locking flange 40 with the lower surface of the hooking rib 50 formed on the body 10, as shown in FIG. 3. In this state, the hook 43 of the hooking protrusion 42 is accommodated in the accommodation groove 52 of the hooking rib 50, thus the hooking protrusion 42 and the hooking rib 50 maintain the engagement more firmly.

[0021] In the case of opening the lid 20, pull the locking flange 40 outwardly to disengage the hooking protrusion 42 from the hooking rib 50, then lift the lid 20 upwardly with gripping the locking flange 40. As a result, the inner space of the container is opened and it is possible to put food in the container or to get food out of the container.

[0022] According to the above mentioned airtight container of the present invention, the locking flange and the hooking rib are engaged by the hooking protrusion formed on the locking flange. Therefore, the hooking rib is not much protruded outwardly. It can be enough that a protrusion length of the hooking rib of the present invention is about one-third of the length of conventional hooking rib. Therefore, the disconvenience due to the interference during using can be lessened, the disconvenience can be minimized particulary if the hooking rib formed continuously along the outer wall of the container.

[0023] The description of the present invention is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the claims. Many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An airtight container comprising: a body with an opened upper surface; a lid for covering said opened upper surface of said body; and a locking portion having at least two locking flanges integrally pivotally coupled to the periphery of said lid through a thin hinge formed at a connecting portion connecting thereof with said lid, said locking flange having a hooking protrusion formed on lower surface thereof, and hooking ribs formed on an upper portion of the outer wall of said body, each rib engaging with said hooking protrusion of said locking flange.
 2. The airtight container of claim 1, wherein said hooking protrusion of said locking flange provided with a hooked end, and said hooking rib provided with an accommodation groove for accommodating said hooked end of said hooking protrusion on lower surface thereof. 